The Trial of Leon Vorgitch
by TwilightSparkle3562
Summary: After he is shot and killed by Robert Purcell, mass murderer Leon Vorgitch is brought to purgatory where he is put on trial for his crimes by Alexandra Borgia and Claire Kincaid. *From the episode "Deadlock."
1. A Disturbing Feeling

Disclaimer: I do not own "Law and Order" or its characters. They are properties of Dick Wolf and NBC/Universal and their affiliates.

"The Trial of Leon Vorgitch"

By TwilightSparkle3562

Chapter 1

"A Disturbing Feeling"

In the criminal justice system, the people, living or dead, are represented by two separate, yet equal important groups: the police who investigate crimes and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.

Ever since she had been murdered by two thugs acting as DEA Agents, Alexandra Borgia had become one of heaven's most prominent prosecutors. It was a job that provided her with all the riches that came with being as good a Catholic as good an attorney. In the days since she came home to her heavenly paradise, Alexandra had always thought about her friends back on earth. In fact, Alexandra couldn't help but think of all of the cases that she was letting herself not take part in. She couldn't help it, they were all on Earth and she was in heaven. Still, she longed to take a case that Jack McCoy couldn't succeed in doing.

Her chance would soon come sooner than expected.

One morning, Alexandra walked into her office, going over what cases the Purgatory offices would be doing. Soon, she was interrupted by the sounds of knocking at the door.

"Come in," she called and the door opened to reveal another former assistant district attorney, Claire Kincaid, that was holding a sheet of paper. "Hey Claire, who are we prosecuting this time?"

"A petty thief," replied Claire. "Apparently died by police shooting at him. Isn't that lovely?"

Claire handed the file to Alexandra who then placed in the "to do" pile of her desk. Alexandra was honored to be one of the few prosecutors that the souls of heaven would allow to carry on as many cases. But, there were times that the cases were either unimportant or uninteresting.

"Claire, can I ask you something?" asked Alexandra, who got a nod from Claire. "Do you miss all the cases you and Jack worked on when you were on Earth?"

"Yeah, every now and then," sighed Claire, sitting on the couch of Alexandra's office. "I know that Detective Briscoe has those feelings as well. Fortunately, heaven has been kind to him despite those areas of poor judgment. I sure do long for the thrill of a case of epic proportions. They were always the most entertaining."

The two attorneys shared a small chuckle at this remark and Claire was right. They needed a case that would come to define their characters and their professions in both earthly and heavenly life. However, it wouldn't be for entertainment purposes. Both Claire and Alexandra took their cases pretty seriously and there were times, mostly for Claire, that criminals would be acquitted because of lack of evidence, poor judgment, etc.

"Well, the chance will come eventually, Claire," said Alexandra, smoothing out her red skirt suit that she was wearing. "We just have to be patient for the moment to come."

Just then, the door to the office opened and a man with a long white beard and dressed in gold robes walked into the room. This was St. John of Capistrano, the patron saint of judges and district attorneys who oversaw who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.

"St. John? Is everything all right?" Claire asked, noticing that the man had a disturbed look on his face. "You look distressed about something."

"It's something that I have never felt before in a long time, my children" replied St. John. "There is an evil on earth, greater than anything we have ever felt before."

"What is this evil?" asked Alexandra as Claire got up from the couch. "Is it someone on Earth?"

A morbid look came onto St. John's face as he struggled to describe what was happening. As the patron saint of the law, St. John had overseen many cases before, but nothing like this.

"It is," answered St. John. "He has taken an entire room of children hostage and is saying words that we would not allow in our master's heavenly paradise."

"What can we do about it?" asked Claire, worriedly. "Come to think of it, who is he?"

"He is a creature of pure evil that had escaped from his Earthly prison," explained St. John. "Had stabbed two police officers that were escorting him to another earthly prison. They call him Leon Vorgitch from what I understand."

Just then, they saw from the office window what appeared to be the souls of one woman and dozens of children come up towards the heavenly gates. The looks on the faces were of fright and fear. Alexandra couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

"It looks as if the creature has carried out his dirty deed," sighed St. John. "I will send Detective Briscoe and Sergeant Greevey to see what is happening."

Taking out a golden trumpet, St. John blew into the trumpet and summoned the two detectives into the office.

"What's going on, St. John?" asked Detective Briscoe, clothed in a long tan overcoat. "Is this related to that disturbance on Earth?"

"It is detective," replied St. John. "I want you and Sergeant Greevey to go down and see what is happening with the monster. Once you discover what is going on, report back to me on your discovery."

"Something tells me this ain't a loose rabid dog, Max," remarked Detective Briscoe. "This is a mope who killed a dozen schoolgirls. Well, he'd better have a good reason for doing this."

"Don't we all?" added Sergeant Greevey and the two detectives descended down to Earth and Detective Briscoe could see all of the parents who were all crying and sobbing over what had just happened.

This caused Briscoe to think back to when his daughter was shot to death and how he felt. Part of him was lucky that he wasn't living on Earth anymore, not having to deal with the horrors of everyday life on the streets of New York. Briscoe then noticed his old partner, Detective Ed Green leading a group of SWAT officers into the school and then soon emerged on a scene of devastation with a lone man holding a pistol in his hands.

"You can't shoot me," he said, with a smile on his face. "I'm unarmed."

Briscoe could see that Detective Green had his finger on the trigger, ready to fire a bullet into his chest.

"Why'd you shoot them?" asked Detective Green quietly, his voice filled with anger over what had just transpired.

Then, what Leon said next infuriated Detective Briscoe just as much as Detective Green.

"Why not?" he laughed as Detective Green and the SWAT officers took him out of the classroom. This caused the two heavenly men of the law to return to heaven with disgusted looks on their faces.

As they ascended back up to heaven, they couldn't believe why a criminal would do such a thing. Most criminals had a motive for doing such a thing, but something was totally screwed up and they needed to get to the bottom of this.

"I can't believe this guy," scoffed Sergeant Greevey as they headed up to heaven. "He just shot those girls and their teacher for the hell of it. Who does he think he is?"

"A sick individual who thinks he can do whatever he wants," remarked Detective Briscoe. "This guy thinks he is above the law and I know, for a fact that he isn't. Something isn't right here and I can't wait for the day he goes to purgatory. Just wait until St. John, ADA Borgia and ADA Kincaid hear about this."

"If only that day would come so soon, Lennie," said Sergeant Greevey as they approached the offices. "And when he does die on Earth, we will show monsters like him how justice is carried out in the afterlife."

However, that day would eventually soon come quicker than expected…


	2. Complete Monster

Chapter 2

"Complete Monster"

Detective Briscoe and Sergeant Greevey arrived back in heaven, having just witnessed the horrors of what had transpired back on earth. Both of them could only wonder why such a man would do such a thing for no reason at all. There had to be a reason and that answer to that particular reason would only come when Leon Vorgitch was brought to purgatory.

"Are you sure that is what he said, Lennie?" asked Claire upon their return. "He just answered 'why not'? This is a sick pervert who did it for fun."

"Exactly, Miss Kincaid," replied Max. "Lennie's old partner wanted to shoot him, but couldn't because he was unarmed. Believe me, I would have shot him and not cared in the world about it."

"What answer would that send, Sergeant?" added Alexandra. "The truth of the matter is, we are dealing with a dangerous fugitive that doesn't even deserve to be tried in purgatory. He should just go straight to hell."

However, St. John raised his eyebrow at this and caused Alexandra to scoff in reply. He was the patron saint of judges and was much older and experience than the young Alexandra Borgia.

"You know that is not how it works, Alexandra," he said. "I know that you want to see this monster suffer as much as I do, but we cannot just send him down unless he is legally killed on Earth for his crimes. Isn't that what happened to the men who killed you on Earth?"

Alexandra sighed and knew that St. John was right. Her killers were put to death legally and that was how it worked. At the same time however, she knew that this was possibly the moment she had been waiting for: the case that would come to define their heavenly careers as prosecutors.

"Until some divine miracle happens, we wait until he comes to purgatory," advised St. John, turning his attention over to Alexandra and Claire. "However, it would be best if we observe what happens during this process. I want you both to go down to earth and see what happens with this monster."

Heeding the call, both Alexandra and Claire left the office and descended down to the courthouse where Leon was being arranged for his crimes. The courthouse was going through it's routine of arrangements and it didn't take long for Leon Vorgitch to be brought into the courthouse. Alexandra could see her predecessor, Connie Ruburosa on the other side feeling slightly nervous.

"He certainly looks evil," said Claire as she watched the murderer be brought in by two court officers. "No wonder Lennie and Max want him tried in purgatory."

"Docket #48215," called out the court clerk. "People v. Leon Wayne Vorgitch. Charges are 8 counts of murder in the first degree, escape in the first degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree."

"How does the defendant plead, Mr..." said Judge Bryce, who was overseeing the bail hearing. But, Leon Vorgitch could only sharply respond in his own defiant manner.

"Kiss my ass!" cried Leon, defiantly. "That's how I plead."

The sounds of Leon's voice sent chills down the spines of the two attorneys as the tense hearing continued. Both Alexandra and Claire could feel in their minds that the prisoner should at least be gagged for his foul language. However, that wasn't the case.

"Control your client, counselor," ordered Judge Bryce as he directed his attention over to Connie. And since he's already serving three life sentences for mass murder, bail's not an issue."

"But which cell he's returned to is, your honor," said Connie. "The defendant obtained the tools for his escape while incarcerated at Green Haven. People ask that corrections place him in a federal super-max facility pending trial."

"That's what I would've done," whispered Alexandra. "Lock him up in a super-max facility and place a muzzle on him."

Judge Bryce then asked the assigned attorney for Leon, Gavin Ecklund, if there was any objection to the matter and since there wasn't, he ordered for Leon to be moved. However, Leon was not going to let the law dictate how he did things.

"You can lock me up wherever you want, bitch," he said quietly as he was being led away. But, Judge Bryce was not hearing any of it and ordered him to be moved out of the courtroom. This caused Leon to go into a full blown rage. You can lock me up wherever you want, 'cause that's all you can do. And next time I get out, I'm comin' straight for you, bitch!"

The court officers dragged Leon away as he struggled and demanded that take their hands off of him. The sounds of Leon's voice sent chills down the spines of both Alexandra and Claire. A little while later, they found themselves in a room where Jack McCoy and Connie were offering a deal to Vorgitch, who didn't really care in the world about any human life aside from his own.

"Murder-2 on all 8 charges," he said.

"Go to Hell, McCoy," rebuked Leon. "Murder-1, 2, 3. What's the hell's that even mean? I want somethin' real. TV time. Conjugal visits."

"We're not here to offer perks, Mr. Vorgitch," said Jack, his patience clearly running thin and it showed in his body language. It was very clear that Leon was going to follow his own destiny and in his sick twisted mind, Leon could do whatever he wanted.

"I want one of them flat screens," said Leon, feeling like he deserved a reward for killing all those schoolgirls. "That's my price. Take it or leave it."

Now, Jack's patience was running out. He needed to leave this monster alone and fast.

"We'll leave it," said Jack, rising up from the chair he was sitting in.

"Fine," said Leon, smiling evilly and smugly. "But every day I get on that bus and go to court is another day I don't have to spend in here. Another chance to escape and when I do, I'm coming for both of you."

At this point, Alexandra and Claire had enough of this and immediately returned to heaven, shocked and dismayed at what had just transpired. In fact, the entire office was in shock and disbelief.

"Flatscreen tv's for killing 11 innocent people?" remarked Detective Briscoe in disbelief as he paced back and forth in the office. "Doesn't anybody see anything wrong with this picture?"

"I certainly do," said Claire. "He clearly does not care about who he kills and the only person he cares about is himself. He thinks this is a joke, a game."

"We clearly understand that we want all want a piece of this guy," said Alexandra, sitting back in her desk, thinking and contemplating. "However, as St. John said, we can't try him unless he is not killed in a legal manner. Trust me, ever since I saw Ricky and Vincent in the fires of hell, I've dedicated myself to punishing those who harm others by sending them to where they are."

"Max is already interviewing the 11 girls that Leon killed along with their teacher," said Detective Briscoe. "11 girls who will never see their parents or siblings again because of this animal. What we need is for something to happen that brings Leon here to be tried. I clearly don't want him sharing a bed next to me. This is not _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_."

"And he is not Jack Nicholson either," remarked Alexandra. "In fact, Leon Vorgitch doesn't even deserve to be treated harshly by Nurse Ratched."

Leon didn't need a psychiatric ward, he needed eternal torture in the fires of hell. Fortunately at that very moment, Robert Purcell, the father of one of the girls Leon killed was approached by a former prosecutor seeking her own goals with a plan to have Leon killed…


	3. Assassination of a Monster

Chapter 3

"Assassination of a Monster"

Robert Purcell and his wife were in mourning. Their daughter Megan had died en route to the hospital after she was shot by Leon Vorgitch. Robert couldn't help but feel angry at the situation that he and his wife were in. They had lost their only daughter, their only child to this monster and deep down, Robert wanted revenge but not just that. The courts had overruled on giving Leon a specially mandated death sentence and now, Jack McCoy had to go on trial to have Leon put to death, which devastated Robert greatly. After they had returned home from the funeral home, the phone rang and Robert picked it up.

"Mr. Purcell," said the voice. "It's Dena Carter, the one who is running for District Attorney. Are you alone?"

Robert turned around to see that his wife was out of the living room and once he was alone, he gave the all clear.

"I am," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"I can help you avenge your daughter's death," replied Dena on the other line. "Do you have a gun?"

Robert knew that he had a gun hidden away from his wife, only to be used for security reasons. However, from the way that Carter was talking, it was very obvious that he was being offered a chance for not just revenge, but also to send a message.

"I do have a gun," he whispered, talking in a low voice so that his wife could not hear. "But, aren't I going to be arrested?"

"Then I will defend you in court," replied Dena. "If you will listen to me, I can help you rid New York of this monster and you won't have to go to jail for it. According to the court schedule, Leon Vorgitch is to be transferred to the courthouse at 9:00 tomorrow morning."

Robert took out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote down exactly what Dena was telling him. However, he thought in the back of his mind if this was nothing more than a campaign stunt that Carter was orchaestrating. Nevertheless, he took this opportunity seriously.

"Is there anything else I need to know, Ms. Carter?" asked Robert.

"No, its time to show the state what happens when they don't act," replied Dena. "Good luck and stay strong."

Almost immediately, the phone hung up and Robert went to bed, ready to rid the city of New York of Leon Vorgitch. The very next morning, Robert got out of bed and pulled out a silver handgun, loading three hollow point bullets into it. Each bullet was a representation of the people whom Leon had affected, particularly Robert, his wife and their daughter whom he will never see again because of him.

"Lord, please watch over me," Robert whispered to himself. "For I will commit a cardinal sin today."

As quietly as possible, Robert left his penthouse and drove to the courthouse. Meanwhile, Leon was escorted from his cell, waiting for the right moment to escape. Since killing the schoolgirls and their teacher, Leon felt like he was on cloud nine. Now, he was planning his next move.

"McCoy, I can't wait to fuck you over," he thought as he was loaded into a police van. "As for your little bitchy partner in crime, I'm going to hunt you down, strip you naked and skull fuck you till there is no tomorrow, then I will kill you."

The drive from the super-max facility was a short drive and Leon grew more and more excited to escape again and do what he loved. He knew that he was the only prisoner in the van, but it didn't matter at all. He had the tools and the smarts to carry out such an elaborate plan.

At the same time, Robert arrived at the courthouse, the gun tucked into his coat pocket, loaded with the three bullets needed to send Leon Vorgitch to his impending trial in purgatory. Getting out of his car, Robert walked up to the courthouse steps where Leon's van pulled up. Rob was nervous and felt like he wanted to back out now, but he couldn't. This monster was much too dangerous to be alive on Earth and needed to be exterminated like the disgusting rat that he was.

"Come on, come on," Robert whispered. "You son of a bitch. Come on."

Robert watched as the two correctional officers in the van opened the doors and Leon smuggled got out of the van, waiting for perhaps the right moment to escape. Seeing the smile on Leon's face make Robert sick and angry. A man who had no respect for life except for his own needed to be put down like a rabid, wild animal.

It seemed like an eternity. Every minute that passed was another minute that Leon was still alive. However, Leon noticed Robert at the top of the stairs and the two men locked eyes on one another. Once their eyes were locked on, Rob pulled the gun out of his pocket and aimed squarely for Leon's chest, pulling the trigger and firing the three bullets into Leon's chest, puncturing his heart and destroying all the vital arteries.

"NO! YOU MOTHER…" Leon screamed as blood squirted from his mouth and he fell back onto the hard stone pavement of the courthouse steps, his head splitting open. With his final bit of life and his plans ruined forever, Leon struggled to react more to Robert's actions and died with his eyes still locked on Robert as Detective Green came forward to arrest him.

"He killed my little girl," Rob said quietly as Detective Green led him away.

However, St. John learned of what happened and knew that this was the moment he was waiting for.

"Leon's been killed," said St. John, firmly to the two detectives. "Arrest him and bring him to purgatory."

Like angels of the law, Detective Briscoe and Sergeant Greevey flew down towards the deceased body of Leon Vorgitch as his spirit struggled to get loose. Leon tried to move, but realized that he was indeed dead when he felt his spirit not attached to his body.

"POLICE! FREEZE!" screamed Detective Briscoe who then raced down and tackled Leon down to the ground. Leon struggled to get Briscoe off of him, but to no avail. "Hold still!"

"OW!" yelled Leon, feeling Briscoe pull back on his wrists. "YOU'RE HURTING ME, ASSHOLE!"

"It's gonna hurt worse if you don't hold still, you crumb!" snarled Sergeant Greevey, watching Detective Briscoe carry out in cuffing the savage monster. "You're under arrest for murder, escape…"

"SHUT UP!" cried Leon, only to be met with a punch on the back by Detective Briscoe.

"You have the right to remain silent," snapped Detective Briscoe, picking Leon up and pulling him up towards purgatory. "And this time, Leon, there will be no escape from where you are going!"

So Leon was earthly killed and now his spirit was being brought up to trial for his crimes…


	4. What to do with Caged Animals?

Chapter 4

"What to do with Caged Animals"

Struggling and cursing against his bonds, Leon's spirit was pulled from his now dead body by Detective Briscoe and Sergeant Greevey right up to the gates of Purgatory. The defiant and evil spirit of the man who killed innocent children was now a true captive in his own right and upon arrival into purgatory, he was going to be treated like one.

"What the hell is wrong you, asshole?" snapped Leon as they threw him in a cage. "Let me out of here."

"Might as well get used to it, Leon," remarked Detective Briscoe, bitterly. "You're going on trial for killing those girls and let me tell you that the punishments here in the afterlife are much more severe than they are on Earth. So if you were you, I'd sit down and shut up!"

Slamming the cage door, Detective Briscoe and Sergeant Greevey returned to heaven where they reported that Leon had been captured and put in a cage. Now, it was a matter of him being arraigned on all his charges, giving the fact of how defiant he was at his earthly arraignment.

"So now that Leon is in our custody," said Alexandra to Claire latter that day. "What exactly do we do with him at the arraignment? I mean, you saw how he was down there, telling the judge to quote 'kiss my ass.'"

"Sounds like something I would tell an old enemy or a jealous boyfriend that didn't treat me well," chuckled Claire. I suppose that perhaps we ought to treat him like an animal if he is going to act like one."

Alexandra then remembered that the judicial system in purgatory was a lot different that the system on earth. On earth, there were restraints on how to treat prisoners. However, in Purgatory, criminals were treated much more harshly to reflect their crimes in their earthly lives.

"Well, I think we ought to slap a muzzle on him for a start," said Alexandra. "And maybe tie him up in chains so that he wouldn't scream and shout if things don't go his way. Furthermore, it would keep him from escaping."

"Which is what he won't be doing now," added Claire, scratching on her stocking clad leg. "Believe me, I wouldn't count on it. In fact, let's present him like an animal during the trial, treat him like a dog."

"Now, let's not go that far, Claire," warned Alexandra. "What we need is to treat him a little bit like a person. We can't just turn this into a kangaroo court. Remember what happened to Jack when he tried to go after my killers?"

Claire knew that Alexandra had a point. She could remember witnessing the trial of Alexandra's killers and noticing that Jack was on the sidelines in the gallery instead of doing what he did best. Fortunately, the judge sentenced the killers to death just for killing Alexandra while they received life sentences for killing all the others that they killed.

"Perhaps we could just try him without the gallery in attendance," suggested Claire, re-thinking her thoughts. "It's best that we have a private trial with only the witnesses present."

"What about those girls he killed?" asked Alexandra. "Don't you think that they've suffered enough? It's bad enough that they had to relive the nightmare once, we shouldn't have to let them live it again."

"I agree with that," replied Claire. "When I was with Jack, we dealt with a case where a school board member was murdered by two boys who were members of a little gang at their school. That was easy then, this is a case of girls we are talking about."

Alexandra then made a decision that the girls would only have to attend the trial if they were only there to testify on the stand. She felt that the girls would only have to attend the trial for one day and nothing more.

"So that is settled on the girls," said Alexandra. "The girls only have to attend on the days when they are testifying. Perhaps it would also be best for the people he killed at that fast food restaurant to testify as well."

"Yeah, might as well," remarked Claire. "Since Leon is going to be placed in hell for his crimes. What do you think they might do with him?"

"It depends," said Alexandra. "They could have Leon repeatedly whipped; offer him nothing to eat or drink; or even crucify him on a cross. That would be the kind of punishment that I would settle with."

Claire also agreed on Alexandra with this. A chance to see Leon suffer on the cross was the true kind of punishment and unlike Jesus himself, Leon would stay on the cross forever and not be taken down. Leon was a creature of pure evil and deserved to rot for his crimes in the worst way possible.

"Then it's settled," said Claire. "We both want to see Leon on the cross for eternity. The question now is if he will get the cross when the time comes?"

"We'll have to wait and see, Claire," replied Alexandra, reaching into her desk and pulling out a stack of papers. "For now, we just have to focus on building our case against Leon. Although it is unlikely that he will get off scot free, not after all the crimes he committed on earth."

Just then a knock was heard at the door and Claire got up to answer it, revealing on the other side a young man in his late 20's wearing a baseball hat and blue jeans.

"What can I do for you?" asked Alexandra.

"My name is Chris Garvey," said the man. "I was one of the victims in Leon's burger joint massacre and would like to testify against him at the upcoming trial in purgatory. All my afterlife, I have been waiting for the moment to say what I needed to say to this monster."

"Well, we can do whatever we can to give you that chance, Mr. Garvey," answered Alexandra. "I will let you know when his trial will start. But, before you can testify, I want you to tell me exactly what happened that day at the burger joint."

And Alexandra slid a piece of paper and a pen to the front of her desk, meaning that Chris had to write out what he was going to say to Leon at his impending trial.

Soon, the trial would begin…


	5. Arraigned in Purgatory

Chapter 5

"Arraigned in Purgatory"

All Leon Vorgitch could do when he arrived in purgatory was simply sit in the cage and struggle against his bonds. It was very fitting of him to be treated like an animal in Purgatory when he was a true animal on Earth, killing innocent people for no reason at all. Now, here he was, about to go on trial for the crimes he committed on Earth. They were going to prove him guilty and he would have to try and get acquitted, which he wouldn't succeed in doing.

"All right, soldier of hell," said a winged guardian as he and another winged guardian approached the cage. "It's time for you to be arraigned for your Earthly crimes."

Because his mouth had been gagged for his defiant and derogatory language, Leon simply gave the two guardians a cold stare as his cage was carried over to a courtroom sized area of Purgatory where the worst of Earth's worst were being arraigned for their crimes. St. John sat on a tall judge's bench as Leon's cage was brought before him. From a side corner, Claire watched as she prepared to make heaven's request for remand.

"Leon Wayne Vorgitch," said St. John, folding his hands and looking down at Leon. "You are charged with the earthly crimes of murder, escape and possession of a weapon. How do you plead?"

The appointed attorney assigned to defend Leon was about to say that Leon was to plead "Not Guilty," however Leon tried to say that St. John should kiss his ass. Unfortunately, the gag prevented him from doing so.

"Leon Vorgitch!" cried St. John, banging his gavel. "You will be silent or else these two angels standing on each side of you will force you to be silent! Do I make myself clear?"

Leon scowled at the judge, still thinking that he was above the law. But, St. John ignored the behavior that Leon was trying to cause and instead focused his attention over to Claire for the prosecution.

"Miss Kincaid, how does heaven respond?" asked St. John.

"The souls of heaven request remand," replied Claire. "Mr. Vorgitch is a frequent flight risk and is a danger to all in both heaven and in hell, given the barbaric and sinister nature of his crimes that he committed on Earth. The souls of heaven request that Mr. Vorgitch is to be caged at all times during the trial."

"That I can completely agree with, my child," said St. John. "The defendant is to be caged throughout the trial until further noticed and is to be remanded as well."

St. John banged his gavel as Leon was carried away, trying to scream through the gag that was around his mouth at Claire. However, St. John decided to make him see sense at that moment.

"And if you want that gag to be removed from your mouth, Leon," snapped St. John as Leon was being dragged. "You will behave yourself during your impending judgment, is that clear?"

But, Leon didn't listen as he continued his muffled screams while being led away from the courtroom, banging against the bars of his cage. Claire was indeed scared for her safety, but St. John looked over to her with a comforting look on his face.

"I would not worry, Claire," he said, giving her a warm smile as he looked down at her. "The system of Purgatory will do everything in its power to protect us from monsters like him."

Claire merely smiled back at this promise made by her protector and boss.

A little while later, Claire returned to the office where Alexandra was going over Leon's case files. Alexandra was very much aware of Leon's behavior during the arraignment and it showed.

"I'd take that Mr. Vorgitch did not behave himself during the arraignment," she said, putting down the files. "He's one of those dangerous ones, I can assure you of that."

"It's no wonder those girls he took hostage and killed were scared of him, Alex," replied Claire, sitting down on the couch. "This guy is a complete monster and doesn't care about who he kills."

"Well, he won't be killing anyone anymore," remarked Alexandra, getting up from her desk and walking over to get a glass of water. "St. John ordered that there be 16 purgatory guardians guarding him at all times. Furthermore, he also ordered that if Leon steps out of line, he is to be whipped, branded or who knows what else. It's actually quite satisfying to tell you the truth."

"That is because you were killed on Earth, Alex," sighed Claire, quietly. "I was killed because of Lennie's drinking habits. The only executions I ever saw were of criminals that were executed in a legal manner. But, I am sure that we were both taught to keep our emotions in check."

Alexandra chuckled slightly at this for she knew that Claire was right. Deep down, ever since her last Earthly moments were spent being tortured to death by two thugs disguised as DEA agents, she wanted to see people tortured for their Earthly crimes. That was a side of hers that could never be revealed in any way, shape or form.

"Has St. John thought of sentence if Leon is most likely found guilty?" asked Claire, choosing to change the subject.

"Not yet," answered Alexandra, walking back over to her desk for a moment. "But, I can assure you, Claire that it will be being sent down to the fires of hell where all those scumbags are: Ricky, Vincent, Hitler, you name it. Although I did hear him say that St. John would like Leon to be crucified for his crimes."

"What kind of message do you think that would send?" wondered Claire, thinking that such an act of punishment would go against everything that the justice system of heaven stood for.

"That criminals who commit savage crimes on Earth will be punished in a savage manner in the afterlife," said Alexandra. "We both know that, Claire. We've seen it all since we started working together."

Alexandra then left her desk and grabbed her purse, before walking towards the door. Claire could tell that she was going down to visit Jack on Earth.

"I assume that you are going to visit Jack, I suppose," remarked Claire. "Come to think of it, I wonder what is going to happen on Earth now that we have Leon in custody."

"I don't know either, Claire," said Alexandra, opening the door to the office and giving Claire one last look before leaving. "But, I am going to find out."


	6. Visit with Jack

Chapter 6

"Visit with Jack"

Alexandra's spirit floated down towards Earth and she soon found herself in her former superior's office, having not changed a bit since her death. It was very clear to Alexandra that Jack had somewhat of a very difficult time moving on from her death, but there was something else of greater importance that was troubling him.

"I'd take that there something that you don't want to do," she said as Jack sat at his desk thinking. "Someone that you don't want to prosecute, but you don't have a choice."

"It's not that, Alex," replied Jack, guessing correctly that Alex's spirit was present in his office. "Yes, I am prosecuting the one who killed Leon Vorgitch, but there is a reason why Robert Purcell killed Vorgitch and it is not because it was out of revenge."

Jack looked up to Alexandra's spirit and sighed contently, wishing that Alex was here with him to help on this case. He knew very well that Alexandra had a very good track record in convictions, probably the best out of all his ADA's throughout his career. Still, he had Alex's spirit watching over him and that she was the only one who could give him the best advice he could.

"Either way, Vorgitch is dead, Alex, although I wanted to see him legally executed," sighed Jack. "I wanted to see him put down by the law like the two men who killed you. But, Robert Purcell took that away. Although, I can't but wonder at the fact that I know how he must feel, losing his daughter to a monster like Vorgitch."

"He is a monster, Jack," replied Alexandra. "Briscoe and Greevey said that he was defiant while being brought up to purgatory. We have him caged and gagged so as to not hear him speak until he learns to be silent."

"Perhaps it is best to keep him silent," advised Jack. "Vorgitch deserves to be given the highest level of torture that hell has to offer. I don't want Purcell to be punished severely, but I don't want him walking out of the courtroom a free man, either. If I did let him walk out a free man, then it would send a message that people kill other people simply because they hate what they did."

Alexandra could tell of the position that Jack was in was nothing short of being torn. She then noticed a newspaper with a picture of Dena Carter on the front page. Before she was killed, Alex remembered hearing about Dena pursuing a senate's seat in Albany.

"Dena Carter running for office, Jack?" she remarked, looking down at the paper. "I assume the senate?"

"You guessed right, Alex," replied Jack, sitting back in his chair. "As an added bonus, she's defending Purcell and I know that if she wins this case, Carter will have a better chance of getting that seat. I know for a fact that she told Purcell when to intercept Vorgitch."

This caused Alex's eyes to widen for a second. She couldn't believe what she was hearing that the spirit she and Claire were prosecuting had been targeted for assassination, even though he had been a monster on earth. Still, she couldn't believe that this was true at least not right away.

"How could you be sure, Jack?" wondered Alexandra. "I know Dena will do anything to get what she wants, but to have a man killed simply because he is the most hated man in New York, that almost makes her seem like the true murderer?"

"Indeed," agreed Jack. "I believe that Purcell was nothing more than a hit man hired by Dena to rid the world of Leon Vorgitch. Dena wants to be the one who claims that monsters like Vorgitch don't deserve to be alive and that through Purcell, she will do everything in her power to see that more monsters like Vorgitch deserve the same fate. It would send a message that would ruin everything the law stands for."

"And you are hoping that Purcell is convicted…" Alexandra started to say before Jack interrupted.

"So, I can get him to talk to me alone and say that Carter told him when to intercept Vorgitch," finished Jack. "Dena Carter is the true villain in all of this next to Vorgitch and I will do everything in my power to see that Purcell doesn't get the walk Carter is trying to get him."

Alexandra could only sit there and wonder if maybe Jack was indeed doing the right thing. One thing that the two of them both agreed upon however was that Robert Purcell was a pawn in a plot to get a worthless senate seat in Albany. This was a man who lost a daughter and was being given the chance to kill Leon Vorgitch and get away with it.

"But, think about this for a second Jack," advised Alexandra, thinking that her former boss was going a bit over the deep end. "You have to secure a conviction to get Purcell to talk."

"Exactly, Alex," answered Jack, looking up at her. "That's why I need to have Purcell be found guilty. It's one thing to avenge the loss of a child, but to be used as a political scapegoat is another. Yes, Robert Purcell doesn't deserve 20 to life, but he doesn't deserve a walk either."

"And neither does Vorgitch," remarked Alexandra. "We're actually starting his trial soon and all the people he killed are going to be testifying against him, including Robert Purcell's daughter."

Alexandra got up and started to float away from Jack's office, feeling as though she wanted to help Jack in this case, but she couldn't. She was no longer living on Earth and had to deal with all the scum that Earth once had and punish them for their crimes.

Soon, the day had come for Leon Vorgitch to be put on trial and Alex made her way to the courtroom with Claire at her side, still thinking about what Jack had said.

"Do you think he might do it?" wondered Claire.

"I don't know, Claire," replied Alexandra, trying to stay focused on the impending trial that was at hand. "But you and I both know Jack very well and that he will do whatever he can to secure a conviction. Right now, we need to focus on what we have to do and nothing else as we always have done."

Eventually, they walked into the courtroom and saw Leon in the cage, the gag still freshly pressed on his mouth to hide his coarse language from all in attendance, especially the children he murdered in his last escape from prison campaign. It was certainly going to be a very interesting trial for all…


	7. Start of the Trial

Chapter 7

"Start of the Trial"

When the day of Leon Vorgitch's trial began, it was a day that was not out of the ordinary for Claire and Alexandra. They had been used to the aspects of trials in purgatory as nothing more than Earthly criminals being put on trial and determining whether they should enter heaven or be sent to the depths of hell. But this one was something completely different. They were prosecuting the spirit of a man who was nothing more than a cold hearted monster who escaped from jail and killed for pleasure.

"When Leon Vorgitch escaped from prison," Alexandra said to the jury in her opening remarks while Leon watched with his court appointed defense attorney. "He was a man who only looked out for himself and himself alone. Leon was one of those who enjoyed the thrill of killing those that stood in their way. The justice system on Earth failed to have him executed, causing what transpired in that classroom on that dark day. When Detective Ed Green asked why Leon ended the life of these girls and their teacher, Leon responded and I quote, 'Why not?'"

As Alexandra made that remark, Leon, who was still caged and gagged, merely just rolled his eyes.

"What you will all see is that Leon Vorgitch does not deserve to even set one foot into the gates of heaven," continued Alexandra as she paced back and forth in front of the jury. "That would be the last thing any of us ever want. Every one of us was taught that no evil spirit would ever pierce the gates of heaven. Leon Vorgitch is trying to weasel his way in and make himself as a folk hero. The only way he is going to be acquitted, is if there is not enough evidence to prove him guilty. For a man who simply told a judge to kiss his ass as a plea, Leon is nothing more than an evil monster that deserves the full extent of whatever punishment is offered to him."

Soon, Alexandra finished her opening remarks and sat back down next to Claire. The two women then noticed that Leon's appointed defense attorney had a disgusted look on his face, almost as if he didn't want to defend Leon. Of course, given the nature that Leon was known to show, neither one of them were surprised.

"Is that Daniel Hershowitz?" whispered Claire. "He's a legendary defense attorney who won several convictions in his time. I learned under him when I was in school."

"So did I," remarked Alexandra. "But, he must not want to go through with this."

The aged defense attorney stood before the jury and sighed heavily, taking off his glasses in the process.

"I want to be honest about one thing," he began, rubbing his eyes and putting his glasses back on. "Nothing out of this trial can erase the horrors that my client had caused to his victims. Leon was a monster, but he didn't have to be a monster. Something happened to him in his youth that made him become what he is today. Most people like my client were not born to be evil. Mr. Vorgitch was a man who was abused by his father as a young boy and the only way to hide that abuse was by taking his frustrations out on others."

Everyone in the courtroom, even St. John, were disgusted by this. There were better ways to deal with personal problems and killing is not one of those. In fact, it was a cardinal sin to do so, one of the Ten Commandments.

"What I hope to prove to you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury," continued Daniel. "Is that Leon does not deserve to suffer the horrors of hell. He deserves to only be locked up in a prison cell like he is now, but with a sense of protection. Leon felt that escaping was the only way to escape the horrors of his past abuses. You must understand that Mr. Vorgitch is a tormented soul who only wanted to escape the possibility of reliving those horrors."

Taking in another sigh, Daniel walked back to sit next to his client that no one wanted to take on. Once the opening statements were made, St. John adjourned the court and Alexandra and Claire walked out of the courtroom along with all the other souls.

"Escaping from an abused childhood," said Alexandra to Claire. "Do you buy that one bit?"

"I'm half and half on it, Alex," replied Claire as they sat down on a bench just across from Daniel. "Part of me wants to believe it, but the other part of me believes that Leon was bored with his prison life and wanted to find a way to entertain himself."

"Either way, we are going to secure a conviction," sighed Alex. "The trial portion, I think, is going to be going through quicker than I thought is going to be."

"Kind of like Paul Sandig's trial," remarked Claire. "It is the sentencing portion that really stood out. Yes, he was sentenced to death, but was later turned over on appeal. We didn't object to it, Alex. But, we can't let our guard down on this one."

Alexandra went home that night to her heavenly apartment and only wondered whether or not that Leon deserved any slack because of his abused childhood. There was no question in her mind that Leon was going to be found guilty, however it was the sentencing portion, like Claire said that was going to be the true test. But, there was something far more immediate that Alex wanted to attend to.

"I trust that you want to see me, Ms. Borgia," said Daniel, who had been asked to come to her apartment that night. "Something about me defending Mr. Vorgitch."

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that you were probably not wanting to go through it," said Alex as she allowed him inside. "But, I suppose you don't have much of a choice."

Daniel sat down on Alexandra's sofa and lowered his head in thought. In the years since he died and came to heaven, he had dedicated his life to the law of protecting the innocent until proven guilty.

"Ms. Borgia," sighed Daniel. "I only decided to defend Leon because there was no one else who wanted to defend him. He's vile and rude to everyone he meets, Ms. Borgia, but I had to do it because it is the Christian way."

Alexandra admired the fact that Leon Vorgitch's defense attorney would even think about taking on such a task.

"Well, I am commending you for that, Daniel," remarked Alex. "But, I'd bet you are wanting to lose this case, judging from the look on your face."

"Yes, yes I do," sighed Daniel. "Do you remember going against one of my protégés, Randall Dworkin?"

This caused Alex to break into a small chuckle. She could remember how enthusiastic Dworkin was despite the fact that he was a defense attorney. In fact, Dworkin was the only defense attorney that Jack was very good friends with, aside from Danielle Melnick.

"How could I forget?" she chuckled. "Even someone like Dworkin knew that some people aren't even worth defending. I'd bet if he was here right now, he would probably say the same thing."

"Yes, he would," said Daniel. "It's too bad that he is not here to give me advice though. Randall would probably say that I shouldn't take someone who doesn't deserve to be defended. But, that is not how we do our jobs, isn't it?"

Alexandra and Daniel continued their conversation long into the night and soon, the first of two testimonies for the prosecution would take place…


	8. Burger Joint From Hell

Chapter 8

"Burger Joint From Hell"

With the opening arguments behind them, the time had come for Alexandra and Claire to question witnesses for the prosecution. The courtroom was once again filled with the souls who had either been victimized by Leon or those who had come to see a trial because they enjoyed seeing whether evil souls were either sentenced to hell or worse. In fact, the first witness to be questioned was Chris Garvey, the man who had approached Alexandra and Claire to speak at the trial.

"Mr. Garvey," began Alexandra as she approached Garvey in the witness box. "Could you please tell the court what your occupation on Earth was?"

"I was a carpenter," replied Chris. "I made up to $500 a month on projects throughout New York City."

"Could you please describe to the court exactly what happened on the day of what happened at the burger restaurant?" asked Alexandra. "Don't be afraid to show us what the atmosphere was like."

Chris took in a deep breath and with his eyes locked on the caged and gagged Leon Vorgitch next to his reluctant defense attorney, began to tell the story.

"We were just in for a quick dinner," he began. "When I say 'we,' I mean me and my fellow workers. We had just sat down when the defendant in question came in and said that we were all going to die and there was nothing any one of us could do about."

Leon's eyes rolled and his head rolled back towards the cage, a sign that he was not interested in hearing in detail of his actions.

"What happened next was that he started firing in random directions," continued Chris. "Leon took aim towards us and fired a bullet at me. I felt my brain explode as the bullet went through my brain and the last thing I remember him saying to me was and I quote, 'Die, you asshole.'"

Leon then tried to speak through his gag to Chris only to be met with the sounds of the gavel being pounded by St. John. But, Leon didn't seem to care. Even though he was at great risk of being sentenced to eternal torture, he was still going to give everyone in the courtroom a hard time.

"You will be silent, Mr. Vorgitch!" ordered St. John, pounding his gavel several more. "Otherwise, you will be held in contempt! Do you hear me?"

Leon let out another grunt, telling the judge that he could go f himself. St. John snarled as Leon remained his defiant, evil and uncaring self.

"Indeed," replied Alex. "Nothing further, your honor."

So, Alex sat down next to Claire and with a deep sigh, Daniel got up and began his questioning to defend a man that shouldn't even be defended at all.

"You say that my client to you to simply die while also calling you an asshole," said Daniel. "Did you hear him say anything else in question?"

"No," replied Chris. "I remember that I left my body immediately afterwards along with three others."

"Mr. Garvey," said Daniel. "Was there any question that you might have done something to Leon to make him act this way?"

"Objection!" cried Alex, rising to her feet. "The defense is trying to put the blame of Mr. Vorgitch's actions on the witness when he didn't do anything at all to him."

"I am simply trying to ask the witness if he had any previous contact with my client!" retorted Daniel. "Nothing more and nothing less!"

St. John considered the objection and both Alexandra and Daniel waited for him to make a ruling. After a moment, he sighed and emerged with his ruling, while still keeping a very close eye on Leon, who was looking like he was going to rebel once again.

"The objection is sustained," he said. "However, Mr. Hershowtiz, I'd advise you to please keep a watch on your questioning."

"Yes, your honor," replied Daniel, turning his attention back to Chris. "Mr. Garvey, would you consider yourself a decent father to your children?"

"I do consider myself a decent father," replied Chris. "I am responsible for teaching both of my children respect and the ways of the Catholic life."

Daniel took in what Chris said and then turned his attention over to the schoolgirls and their teacher in the gallery. He knew along with everyone else that Leon's last killings before he was killed was these innocent people. But, he had a job to do and had to do it.

"Were you planning to send your children to Catholic school, Mr. Garvey?" asked Daniel.

"I was planning on it along with my wife, yes," replied Chris. "I actually went to Catholic school myself because my family believed that it was a place of sanctuary and order."

"Sanctuary and Order," remarked Daniel, taking in what he had just heard, before turning his attention back over to St. John. "I have no further questions, your honor."

With a nod from St. John, Daniel walked back to his seat and sat down next to his client giving him a cold stare. Yes, Daniel was Leon's appointed defense attorney, however that didn't mean at all that he could share his own feelings.

"You attacked a Catholic school classroom with innocent children and their teacher?" he whispered to his caged client. "You sick pervert."

With that, St. John adjourned for the day and Daniel left the courtroom along with everyone else, glad to be freed from the duties and responsibilities of being a reluctant defense attorney to someone that didn't even deserve to be defended at all. Meanwhile, Alexandra returned to Earth and visited with Jack to give him an insight on the first day of the trial.

"Daniel Hershowitz is a highly skilled defense attorney, Alex," said Jack, once again sitting back in his chair. "But, I can only imagine how this must feel for him, defending a man that doesn't even deserve to be defended at all. It's too bad many of the other defense attorney don't feel that way."

"Aside from Randall Dworkin?" remarked Alexandra, whose remark was met with a nod from Jack. "The one who sometimes questioned who he defended."

"Exactly," replied Jack. "Daniel always had his limits on who deserved to be defended or not. But, if no other defense attorney is available and he is the only one, Daniel always had to pick up the slack. We always referred to him as the "reluctant defender."

"Kind of the Reluctant Dragon," said Alexandra. "But, we have to play by the rules, Jack. We both know that. How is the Purcell case going?"

Jack took in a deep sigh, knowing very well how Daniel was feeling. Deep down, he didn't want to defend a man who killed another man simply because he hated him. But, he had no other choice but to charge Robert Purcell with murder because he committed this act in cold blood on the courthouse steps.

"Seems to be in our favor," replied Jack. "However, like I said, Robert Purcell was just the hitman and Dena Carter is the true murderer in this case. Nothing would make us happier than to see her jailed for all of this."

"And for Leon to suffer in the depths of hell," added Alexandra. "But, it's like I said, nothing can erase what Leon did to these people."

And it wouldn't be long before the last victims Leon ever killed would face their tormentor…


End file.
